SBP THE BIG PICTURE CONTENTS. Survivor Benefit Plan For The Uniformed Services The Simple Facts

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1 SBP Survivor Benefit Plan For The Uniformed Services The Simple Facts This pamphlet explains the basics of the Uniformed Services Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). It is written for "you" the retiring member, but spouses should also read it. And, where it reads "spouse," it can also apply to a former spouse, but some exceptions are noted. Details on several features of SBP are available in separate fact sheets from your personnel counselor, who can also answer your specific questions. Fact sheets available include: 1. Premium Worksheet 2. Financial Analysis 3. Spouse Coverage 4. Former Spouse Coverage 5. Child Coverage 6. Insurable Interest Coverage 7. Member Remarriage 8. Withdrawal From SBP 9. VA Payments and SBP 10. Taxes and SBP 11. Reserve Component SBP Options and coverage differ for active duty personnel and retirees. Reservists whose service will make them eligible for retired pay at age 60 should read the fact sheet on the Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan, or RC-SBP. THE BIG PICTURE CONTENTS Peace of Mind Plan Summary SBP as Insurance and Other Estate Planning Information Is SBP a Good Buy? PROGRAM DETAILS Spouse Former Spouse Children Insurable Interest SPECIAL PROVISIONS Termination of Coverage VA Benefits THE BIG PICTURE PEACE OF MIND Great peace of mind comes with your lifetime, inflationadjusted monthly retired paycheck. SBP gives your survivors some of the same. This pamphlet gives you the basic details to make that happen! It is not a contract document. The basic statutory provisions of SBP law are in Chapter 73, Title 10, United States Code. Caution! Some people think they can join SBP years after they retire, during a so-called "open season." In the 30-plusyear history of SBP, only five times have retirees had a second chance at SBP. Each time was after major plan improvements. The Third time, premiums were raised for new joiners to help 1

2 make up for the missed premiums. The fourth and fifth time, new joiners were required to pay all missed premiums with interest, plus an additional amount to protect the solvency of the Plan in a in a buy-in premium. Open enrollment elections have typically required a period of time (two years) before the election is actually effective. This prevents too much adverse election (people joining with short life expectations). Don't count on an open season. Although an open season may be enacted by special law, they are not part of the regular Plan. No more are expected, and it won't give your survivors any peace of mind. PLAN SUMMARY (See other sections for more detail) Retired pay stops when you die! SBP helps make up for the loss of part of this income. It pays your eligible survivors an inflation-adjusted monthly income. SBP Premiums and benefits depend on what we call the "base amount" that you elect as the basis of your coverage. Your base amount can be your full monthly retired pay or just a portion, down to as little as $300. When this pamphlet says "retired pay" you can substitute "base amount" unless it says otherwise. Full coverage means your full retired pay is your base amount with the exception of a retiree who took the career status bonus (CSB) and retires under the REDUX retirement plan. Full SBP coverage for REDUX is what retired pay would have been under the High 36 Month retirement plan. Your base amount is tied to your retired pay. When retired pay gets a Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA, so does the base amount, and as a result, so do premiums and SBP annuity benefits. If you are on active duty, retirement-eligible and have a spouse and/or children, they are automatically protected under SBP at no cost to you while still on active duty. If divorced, your former spouse may be protected instead of a current one based on court ordered former spouse SBP. When you retire, you may elect any of several SBP options. SBP elections cannot be canceled or changed after retirement except in specific instances such as a change in your marital status or after the loss of a beneficiary. You must pay premiums for SBP coverage once you retire. Premiums are taken by reducing retired pay, so they don't count as income. This means less tax and less out-of-pocket cost for SBP. Also, using conservative fiscal assumptions, currently about 50 percent of the overall plan will be funded by the government, so the average premiums are well below cost. This subsidy means an attractive plan for most people. The subsidy is an average and should not be considered to apply in every case. At retirement, full basic SBP for spouse and or children will take effect automatically if you make no SBP election. You may not reduce or decline spouse coverage without your spouse's written consent. If you have a former spouse, it may affect your options. See the Former 2

3 Spouse section under Program Details. SBP for a spouse pays a benefit of 55 percent of retired pay regardless of annuitant s age. Eligible children may also be SBP beneficiaries, either alone or added to spouse coverage. In the latter case, the children get benefits only if the spouse dies or remarries before age 55. Eligible children equally divide a benefit equal to 55 percent of your retired pay. Child coverage is relatively inexpensive because children get benefits only while they are still your dependents (see the Program Details section). If you're not married and have no dependent children, you may cover an "insurable interest" person--that is, a close relative or a business partner with a valid interest in your life. If you are not married and have only one child, regardless of dependency status, you may cover that child under this option. Election of insurable interest coverage requires full retired pay as the base amount. The premiums are 10 percent or more of your retired pay. The benefit is equal to 55 percent of your full retired pay after premiums for SBP are subtracted. SBP As Insurance And Other Estate Planning Information We buy insurance as a way to cope with major financial risks. We buy it to protect us from the financial hardships of events we can't foresee, like car wrecks and house fires. It protects our valuable assets. Your retired pay is one such valuable asset. Since it stops when you die and you can't foresee when that will be, it may be useful to insure it. SBP is a way to do this; it is a form of life insurance for part of your retired pay. But SBP premiums and benefits differ from those of most other insurance plans. Like life insurance, SBP protects your survivors against complete loss of financial security when you die. But, SBP does more! It also protects your survivor against the possibility of outliving the benefit. Many insurance plans pay only a fixed benefit that may run out years before the survivor dies. Besides long life, another unpredictable reason your survivor may outlive the benefits is INFLATION! SBP protects against this risk through the COLA. Inflation may be the biggest financial uncertainty of all. It erodes the value of fixed incomes, making them worth less and less as time goes by. Few, if any, private insurance plans will fully insure your survivor against the ravages of inflation. In fact, no known insurance company has guaranteed to match SBP benefits at equal cost or less. One reason is SBP premiums have an average 50 percent built-in discount making the plan a good buy for most people. Plus, a private insurer needs to cover administrative expenses and make a profit and these aren't even counted in the almost 50 percent average subsidy. 3

4 And, SBP premiums reduce your taxable income and cut your outof-pocket cost for coverage. SBP benefits are taxed as income to the survivor, but the tax rate should be less than you now pay. Most insurance plans are the reverse; premiums are paid from after-tax income, while survivors are not taxed on the proceeds. In effect then, SBP protects part of your retired pay against the risks of: - Your early death; - Your survivor outliving the benefits; and - The ravages of inflation. Still, SBP alone is not a complete estate plan. Other insurance and investments are important in meeting needs outside the scope of SBP. For example, SBP does not have a lump sum benefit that some survivors may need to meet immediate expenses upon a member's death. On the other hand, insurance and investments without SBP may be less than adequate. Even if they could duplicate SBP, investments may be much more risky and rely on a degree of financial expertise many don't have. Consider everything carefully. Don't expect SBP to do it all, but give it full credit for what it does. Is SBP a Good Buy? Given the expected almost 50 percent average subsidy, the answer to this question for most retirees is yes! Whether SBP is a good buy for you depends on personal preferences and your age, sex, and health compared to your beneficiary's. Beyond this, the answer lies in three questions you should ask yourself. First, is SBP a product I can use? Personal preferences may control your answer, but a subsidized lifetime inflationprotected income is very attractive to most people. Second, how much SBP can I use? If you know when you'll die, how long your survivor will outlive you and how much inflation will occur, you have the answer. The unknown future is the problem, but SBP meets the need! Even if you die shortly after you retire and your spouse lives for 50 more years and if inflation is higher than expected, SBP will still be paying. It will probably be paying a lot more than anyone ever expected because inflation has such a strong impact over a long period of time. In fact, survivors who began to get SBP benefits in the early 1970s have seen their benefits more than tripled through annual COLAs! Third, how much SBP can I afford? The benefits do carry a price tag, but due to the subsidy and lack of administrative costs and profit, the plan should be attractive for most members. And remember: The tax advantage on premiums reduces your out-of-pocket cost. PROGRAM DETAILS Be sure you have read the Big Picture section. It explains the general provisions and workings of the program. This section gives details on 4

5 beneficiaries, premiums, benefits, and termination of coverage, VA benefits, and Social Security. The information that follows defines who qualifies, when benefits are paid, what premium is charged and how the benefit is computed. Spouse This means the spouse you're married to when you die. If you marry after retirement, the marriage must last at least one year or you must have children born of that spouse. Benefits are paid until the spouse dies, but stop upon remarriage before age 55. In this case, they resume if that remarriage ends by death or divorce. If a second SBP results from this remarriage, the surviving spouse must elect which of the two SBP benefits to receive. Premiums for spouse coverage are 6.5 percent of the base amount. For active duty Soldiers who entered service prior to March 1, 1990, and who will retire after 1 January 2010, Soldiers being medically retired, non-regular retirement for Reservists; if their base amount is less than $1,601, the premium is 2.5 percent of the first $747 of the base amount plus 10 percent of any remaining base amount. These exact dollar "thresholds" will increase with every active duty pay raise. Currently the benefit under basic spouse coverage is 55 percent of retired pay regardless of the annuitant s age. If your spouse gets Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), from the Department of Veterans Affairs, basic SBP benefits will be reduced dollar for dollar. Premiums are refunded for that reduction. DIC is paid only when you die of a service-connected cause. For details, see the Special Provision section for VA benefits. A court case allows surviving spouses eligible for both SBP and DIC who remarry after age 57 to receive both SBP and DIC without offset. Regardless of the SBP option you elect, you must promptly notify the finance center if you divorce, your spouse dies, marry, or at the birth of a child. This ensures premiums are properly suspended or resumed. Otherwise you may end up owing a large debt for the unpaid premiums or pay a lot of premiums that no longer apply. If your spouse dies before you or you are divorced, spouse premiums are suspended. If divorced, you may convert the spouse coverage to former spouse coverage. See the next section on former spouse coverage. Under spouse coverage, if you remarry, your new spouse is covered after one year of marriage or upon the birth of your child born of that spouse, if sooner. If you want any change in coverage, you must notify Defense Finance and Accounting center in writing before your first wedding anniversary. If no other valid election is made by then, your old coverage and premiums automatically apply. Ensure your desired option takes effect. 5

6 One option is to stop coverage. Another option is to increase coverage if you took less than full coverage for the first spouse. Former Spouse A former spouse may be covered instead of the spouse. This option may be taken by the retired member, or it may be required by a divorce agreement. You must notify the finance center in writing within one year of your divorce. Include a copy of your divorce decree and settlement agreement. If not retired, the member may make the former spouse election at retirement. To deem former spouse, the former spouse must notify the Defense Finance and Accounting Service within one year of the first court order awarding SBP utilizing a DD Form (SBP/RCSBP SBP Request for Deemed Election). Include a copy of the divorce decree and or settlement agreement awarding the SBP with the deemed election. When the former spouse does this, the election will be "deemed" as made at the end of the 1-year period if member fails to make the election. Former spouse benefits and premiums are identical to those for spouses. Remarriage limitations also apply. If you take spouse coverage when you retire and later divorce, the coverage may be converted to former spouse coverage. Conversion may be required as part of your divorce agreement. In such case, written notice to the finance center with a copy of the decree should be filed by each party as mentioned above. Converting to former spouse coverage will limit your ability to cover a new spouse if you remarry. In converting to former spouse coverage, you may not increase your base amount. Children Eligible children may be covered alone (Child Only Coverage) or may be included with spouse (former spouse) coverage (Spouse and Child or Former Spouse and Child Coverage). In the latter options, eligible children get benefits only if your spouse (former spouse) has died or remarried before age 55. Children qualify for payments only during the time they are unmarried and: - Under age 18; or - Over age 18, but under age 22 and still in school full time; or - Suffer a mental or physical incapacity incurred while still eligible as defined above. Note: It is recommended that you research the impact SBP for a fully disabled child may have on other benefits the child is or will receive. Your eligible children include adopted children, stepchildren, foster children, and recognized natural children who live with you in a regular parent-child relationship. When you include child coverage with former spouse coverage, only your children of that former spouse are covered. Any other children will not be paid benefits under this option. 6

7 In the child only option or when you include children with spouse (not former spouse) coverage, all of your children are covered. Monthly premiums for including children with spouse coverage are based on the age of the member, spouse, and youngest child at the time the coverage becomes effective. For example, if you are age 42, your spouse age 40 and your youngest child age 10, the premium is $65.18 for each $1,000 of base amount ($65.00 for the spouse coverage and $.18 for including children.) In the case of child only coverage, the premium is based on your age and the age of your youngest child at the time the coverage becomes effective. For example, if you are age 42 and your youngest child age 10, the premium would be $2.30 for each $1,000 of base amount. Benefits--Eligible Children equally divide a benefit equal to 55 percent of your retired pay. For example, with five children eligible, each is paid one-fifth of the full annuity, or 11 percent of your retired pay; then when only four remain eligible, the 55 percent annuity is recalculated and paid in four equal parts; etc. Payments stop for each child at age 18 provided the child is no longer in school and has no incapacity. Insurable Interest If you're not married and have no children, you may be able to elect coverage for an "insurable interest" person. This must be a natural person (not a company, organization, fraternity, etc.) with a financial interest in your life. It may be a close relative or a business partner. If you're not married and have only one child, you may elect insurable interest coverage for that child regardless of the child's age or dependency status. Since Oct. 17, 2006, a member may within 180 days of the death of their insurable interest beneficiary elect in writing a new natural person insurable interest beneficiary. The member must live two years from the effective date of the election for the election to be valid. If the member dies before the end of the two year period from the date of the election, the election is invalid and any premiums paid since the effective date of this election will be paid in a lump sum to the person who would have been the deceased member s beneficiary. The member s premium for the new insurable interest election will be based on the age of the new beneficiary and will include the total additional amount by which the retired pay of the member would have been reduced before the effective date of the election if the original beneficiary had not died and had been covered under the plan through the date of the election, and had been the same number of years younger than the new beneficiary plus interest. Effective November 24, 2003, if retired for disability and you die within one year of retirement for a cause related to a disability for which you were retired, an Insurable Interest election is invalid with the exception of Insurable Interest elections made for a dependent authorized a Military ID Card. Any premiums paid for an invalidated Insurable Interest election will be 7

8 refunded to the designated beneficiary. Be careful making this election. Premiums continue unless the beneficiary dies before you or you elect in writing to terminate this coverage under established procedures. If you get married or have children after retirement, you may replace this election by covering your spouse or children within one year of the marriage, birth or adoption. Insurable interest premiums are 10 percent of full retired pay, plus an added 5 percent of retired pay for each full five years you are older than the beneficiary. A maximum premium of 40 percent applies if you are 30 or more years older than the beneficiary. Insurable interest benefits are equal to 55 percent of the retired pay remaining after subtracting the SBP premium. As an example of insurable interest coverage, say your full retired pay is $1,000 and your beneficiary is 12 years younger than you. The age difference is more than 10 years (2x5), but not more than 15 years (3x5). Thus, the premium is 10+(2x5)= 20 percent, and the premium is.20x$1,000= $200. To compute the benefit, subtract this $200 premium from your $1,000 retired pay and multiply the remaining $800 by 55 percent, or.55x$800=$440. SPECIAL PROVISIONS Termination of Coverage SBP coverage is permanent for most purposes. You can't stop or change the coverage except under specific conditions. A member may terminate participation between the 25th and 36th month after receipt of retired pay. Spouse concurrence is required, no premiums are refunded for past coverage, and future enrollment is barred. SBP Premiums stop when there is no longer an eligible beneficiary in a premium category, such as: - Children are all too old for benefits and have no incapacity, or - A spouse is lost through death or divorce, or - Coverage is terminated by the member between the 2 nd and 3 rd anniversary of retirement, or - An insurable interest person dies or coverage is terminated, or - An insurable interest person dies or coverage is terminated. You can terminate SBP coverage if rated by the VA as totally disabled for: - 10 or more continuous years; or - five or more years continuous from the last date of active duty. Under these circumstances, your death would be presumed to be of service-connected causes, ensuring your spouse's entitlement to DIC. Thus, you and your spouse may find no advantage to continue SBP coverage. Your spouse must concur in such an election to withdraw. When you die, your spouse will be refunded all premiums paid, except for the 8

9 added costs associated with an Open Enrollment period. Social Security Benefits Social Security benefits for your spouse are not affected by your coverage under SBP. VA Benefits age 70. No more premiums are owed, and an annuity is payable. Contact your Installation Retirement Services Officer (RSO) if you have any questions concerning SBP. (Current as of Jan 13) If you get VA disability compensation, your military retired pay is reduced dollarfor-dollar to prevent duplication of benefits. If your VA compensation is great enough, your retired pay may be reduced to the point you have to pay premiums directly. This may affect the tax advantage on those premiums. Also, if you are totally disabled under the VA program, you may be able to terminate your SBP because, under certain conditions, your spouse will get Dependency and Indemnity Compensation regardless of the cause of your death. See the Termination of Coverage section above for more details. If you die of serviceconnected causes, regardless of the percentage rating, your spouse will qualify for DIC paid by the VA. This tax-free benefit reduces, dollar-fordollar, the basic SBP benefits for a spouse. When all or part of an SBP annuity is offset by this compensation, premiums for the offset portion are refunded. Paid-Up Provision Effective 1 Oct 08, a participant is considered "paidup" after completing 30 years (360 payments) in the Plan and 9